Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector for enabling fluid transfer between a first fluid container and a second fluid container. More specifically, the invention is directed to a connector having structure to increase friction between threaded connection portions.
Description of Related Art
Many medical connectors comprise a first component having a female luer-lock element that is arranged to be rigidly joined to a corresponding male luer-lock element of a second connector component that is attached to a medical line or other medical connection, for example. The male luer-lock element can, thus, be freely screwed into and unscrewed from the female luer-lock element. However, once the male luer-lock element has been screwed into the female luer-lock element of the connector, there is a risk that the connector components may be accidentally or inadvertently unscrewed, which could lead to the disconnection of the fluid passage. This may entail a serious contamination risk for a patient and/or any other person in the vicinity of the disconnected medical connector. Such a disconnection risk must especially be avoided when administering toxic fluid, such as cytostatic agents.
In addition, when the friction between the female luer-lock and the male luer-lock is low, there is a tendency for users to over-torque the connection because there is no discernable indication that the connection has been fully tightened. This can lead to breakage of the connectors and/or the containers being joined. This low friction is common for connectors used when administering toxic fluid, such as cytostatic agents for chemotherapy, as such connectors are generally made from plastic or polymeric materials whose hardness and/or surface characteristics result in surfaces having low coefficients of friction.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a connection for enabling fluid transfer between a first fluid container and a second fluid container that provides not only some resistance to disconnection, but also an indication to the user when the connection begins engagement.